Farmers’ Capacity and Rice Productivity in Climate Change Adaptation in Central Lampung Regency, Indonesia

Climate change is an extreme natural change condition due to global warming that cannot be avoided, and will have a broad impact on various aspects of life, including the agricultural sector. The impact of climate change that occurs in the agricultural sector, namely flood and drought that cause plants to crop failure , is becoming greater, causing significant reduction in agricultural production, especially rice, requiring that farmers have the ability to adapt to climate change. The purposes of this study are to analyze the relationship between the performance level of agricultural extension workers and the capacity level of farmers in regard to climate change adaptation, and to analyze the relationship between the level of farmer capacity in climate change adaptation and rice productivity. The research was conducted in Central Lampung Regency in 2019 using a total of 100 rice farmers. The data analysis method used is Spearman rank correlation analysis. The results show that the performance level of agricultural instructors is significantly related to the level of knowledge capacity, attitude, and skills of farmers in climate change adaptation. Knowledge capacity, attitude, and skills of farmers in climate change adaptation are significantly related to rice productivity.

Evaluation of surface water for agricultural irrigation in Lobalain District, Rote Ndao Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia

The average rice productivity of the Rote Ndao Regency is still below the national rice productivity. The cropping pattern’s lack of management and limited water sources can only be planted once a year. This study aims to determine the availability and quality of surface water used for irrigation with the existing rice-corn-fallow cropping pattern. The research was carried out by measuring discharge in the field, surveying the types and cropping patterns, irrigation area research, surface water quality analysis, and hydrological analysis. The results showed that the need for irrigation water for agriculture in the study area with the current cropping pattern was 0.84 lt/second/ha. Therefore, the existing irrigation area of ±3,762.00 Ha requires a water discharge of ±3.159 m3/second. The availability of surface water in the Lobalain District is low, with a discharge of ±1.598 m3/second. Surface water quality shows the percentage of sodium (Na%) dominated by excellent to permissible class, and the sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) excellent. The existing resource of surface water could not support agricultural irrigation. Therefore, it is necessary to find an alternative water source such as groundwater.

Effects of biochar and barley straw application on the rice productivity and greenhouse gas emissions of paddy field

To improve the agricultural environment, utilization of biochar and organic materials from paddy fields gaining importance. This is because the long-term use of inorganic fertilizers aggravates the soil environment, and also because rice paddy is a major source of CH4 and N2O emissions during rice cultivation which involves continuous flooding. Recently, the application of organic materials and biochar to the soil has received increasing attention due to their potential benefits related to soil quality, crop growth, and greenhouse gas emission. This study examines the influence of biochar and straw treatments on rice growth, soil physicochemical properties, and global warming potential in the paddy field. Five treatments were applied for the study: control (Cn), inorganic fertilizer (IF), barley straw biochar (BC), barley straw (BS), and BC + BS. Soil quality after rice harvesting improved in the BC treated group. The yield components of rice were also improved in the BC + BS, compared to other treatments. These effects resulted in increased rice yield and uptake of nutrient contents in the BC + BS treatment. Total fluxes of CH4 and N2O relative to global warming significantly decreased by 37.3% and 65.2% in the BC + BS group than in the IF treatment, respectively. Consequentially, a cropping system with BC and BS is an effective strategy to improve rice productivity and soil quality and also reduce GHG emissions from paddy fields, thereby alleviating global warming.

Responses of Lowland Rice Genotypes under Terminal Water Stress and Identification of Drought Tolerance to Stabilize Rice Productivity in Southern Thailand

Lowland rice is an important cereal crop that plays a key role in the food security and the economy of Thailand. Terminal water stress (TWS) in rainfed lowland areas poses threats to rice productivity due to stress occurrence at terminal crop stages and extreme sensitivity of rice to TWS. A two-year study was conducted to characterize the performance of yield and yield attributes of twelve Thai lowland rice genotypes under TWS, to identify stress-tolerant genotypes using stress response indices and to identify promising stress indices which are correlated with grain yield (GY) under well-watered (WW) and TWS conditions for their use as rapid identifiers in a rice crop breeding program for enhancing drought stress tolerance. Measurements were recorded under WW and TWS conditions. Highly significant variations were observed amongst assessed genotypes for their yield productivity responses. According to stress response indices, genotypes were categorized into stress-tolerant and stress susceptible genotypes. Genotypes Hom Pathum, Sang Yod, Dum Ja and Pathum Thani-1 were found highly stress tolerant and relatively high yielding; genotypes Look Pla and Lep Nok were stress tolerant, whereas genotypes Chor Lung, Hom Nang Kaew and Hom Chan were moderately tolerant genotypes. Hence, stress-tolerant genotypes could be potentially used for cultivation under rainfed and water-limited conditions, where TWS is predicted particularly in southern Thailand to stabilize rice productivity. Stress tolerance indices, including stress tolerance index (STI), geometric mean productivity (GMP), mean productivity index (MPRO) and harmonic mean index (MHAR), indicated strong and positive associations with GY under WW and TWS; thus, these indices could be used to indicate stress tolerance in rice crop breeding program aimed at a rapid screening of lowland rice genotypes for stress tolerance.

Analysis of rice farming using new superior varieties in swamp lands in Mesuji District, Lampung

This study aims to analyze rice farming using several superior varieties of rice in the swamps of Mesuji District, Lampung Province. The study was conducted on PT-1/MH December 2020/January 2021 in Tanjung Mas Jaya Village, Mesuji Timur District, Mesuji District, Lampung Province. The superior varieties of rice grown by Cilamaya Muncul, Inpara-2, Inpara-8, Inpari IR Nutrizinc, Mapan, Supadi and Kebo. Each variety is planted by one farmer with an area of about 1 ha. The analysis was carried out descriptively comparing the revenues and costs used. The results of the study show that rice production ranges from 7,573-10,400 t/ha, with an average rice productivity of 9,243 t/ha. Contribution to the cost of using production facilities occupies 28.77% - 45.52% of the total production cost, while the cost of using labor is 54.48% -71.23% of the total production cost. Rice farming in the swamps of Mesuji area with the use of six superior varieties of rice is still profitable with R/C ratio ranging from 3.48 to 4.63. In the future, for efficient farming, the implementation of technological innovations, especially the choice of suitable (adaptive) improved varieties of rice, is very important to consider.

Observation of promising tungro resistant rice lines in West Sulawesi

Food needs, especially rice, are a priority for agricultural businesses in Indonesia. The development of the world population in general and Indonesia in particular encourages a rapid increase in rice productivity. So it is demanded to have variety of rice that is resistant to disease and has superior rice productivity. Efforts to increase rice yields can not be separated from the efforts of assembling new superior varieties that are disease resistant as well as high yield potential. One of the plant breeding activities is observation activities. To explore the potential of rice strains after the screening stage, it is necessary to evaluate the germplasm or selected rice strains so that genotype can be screened which gives a positive response to both biotic and abiotic stresses. Tungro disease is generally the main problem in efforts to increase rice productivity. Tungro disease can attack rice plants from seedlings, vegetative stadia leaves through the host of green aphrodisiacs (Nephotetix vieressens). In vulnerable rice and supportive environmental conditions, this disease can cause farmers to fail to harvest or ‘puso’. The use of resistant varieties is the most practical and economical ways of controlling tungro disease. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the resistance of the rice breeddings lines to tungro disease. The research was conducted during Planting Period II in 2019 in the endemic area of Tungro Kalukku, West Sulawesi. The genetic materials tested as many as 26 strains from the group of researcher germplasm of Tungro research station and resistant check varieties namely Inpari 36 and comparison production namely Ciherang. The results showed that the strains tested had a diversity of different resistances that showed varying responses to tungro disease. Rice breeddings the best from checker varieties Ciherang and Inpari 36 namely: Strains No.2, 10, 12, 16, and 19 can be recommended for used further testing.